By Hajara Leman
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), in partnership with the Gombe State Government, has deployed more than 965,000 doses of polio vaccines to boost immunisation coverage across the state.
The Chief of UNICEF Bauchi Field Office, Dr. Nuzhat Rafique, disclosed this yesterday after an immunisation review meeting, noting that the vaccines had been safely distributed and managed across all local government areas.
Rafique said the large volume of doses was aimed at reaching the targeted population, children aged 0–59 months, particularly focusing on more than 50,000 zero-dose children who had never received any vaccination.
She explained that strong community engagement, including the involvement of traditional rulers and religious leaders, had helped improve awareness and acceptance of the exercise.
According to her, daily reports show that over 60 per cent of vaccination targets are already being met, with expectations of higher coverage before the end of the five-day campaign.
Also speaking, the Executive Secretary of the Gombe State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr. Abdulrahama Shuaibu, said vaccination teams had been well trained and deployed within communities to ensure efficient service delivery.
He reaffirmed the commitment of the state government and its partners to ensure that all eligible children are reached, stressing that no effort would be spared in overcoming vaccine resistance.
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